Friday, October 24, 2008

All Hallows coming up

In the US most people know Halloween, and are only vaguely, if at all, aware that it is the night before 'All Hallows', now known as All Saints Day, which is followed by All Souls Day. That is not the case here.

Although Halloween is beginning to be observed - and cutting jack-o-lanterns has become a popular Fall activity - that is very recent.

The Austrians really do take All Saints and All Souls seriously. It is considered to be an obligation to make sure that the family grave(s) are in good shape before the holiday, and visited then with wreaths and candles.

Have you visited any cemeteries in Vienna? I am very fond of the Neustift cemetery, but there are a lot of other local ones, as well as the big 'ZentralFriedhof'. If you haven't been, it is high time you did. Each family has a plot, usually with several people buried at different depths. The plot can be covered with a stone, but more common is to have a small lawn or flowers growing in it. In some areas you will see people come regularly to care for their plot; in other areas it is more common for a gardener to be hired to take care of the work.

At any time you will find fresh graves with the funeral wreaths piled high on some graves, candles burning on others, and people walking the paths. There may be a funeral going on in the cemetery chapel. But at this time of year, the fog gives the gravestones a mystical atmosphere, and if you pass by in the evenings just at All Saints you will see all the candles burning. Do take time to do so!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Photo Marathon

An interesting idea for those with cameras : take part in Vienna's Photo marathon next week.

The idea is simple. You sign up in advance, telling them what sort of camera you have. Next Saturday you show up and are given a roll of film or a chip and a list of 24 topics. Now you have 12 hours to shoot pictures for those topics (in order) and hand your film or chip back in. There are prizes for the best pictures, but the real fun is in participating.

This is a chance to look at Vienna outside your usual box.

Or try it just for yourself, either here or on your next vacation. Set yourself a list of topics in advance (maybe with others) and see how it changes the way you see your surroundings. Mobile phone cameras cannot be used in the official one, but get a contest going between your kids if they have camera phones. Who can get the best (most original) picture of 'Animals in the city' or 'The souvenir I would have bought'. Or ' _______-eye perspective of a tourist attraction.' 'Food I wouldn't have seen anywhere else.'

Anyway, I am eager to find out what topics we are going to be assigned.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Streetcar changes

In the next week or so there are going to be a few changes to the streetcar system in Vienna. Basically, lines 1 and 2 are going to absorb the current lines 65, J, and N. You ought to have a look at the new schedules before getting on one of those lines. You might think you were going around the Ring, and find yourself off in some other part of town. Hopefully these changes will mean that people will have fewer changes, and it will be easier for them to change to the U-Bahn, but there will no longer be a line that goes all the way around the Ring.

Over the next year further changes will affect the D and 71 trams. At present it is only planned that the D will be renamed 3, but the 71 will become another tram that goes around part of the Ring instead of ending at Schwarzenberg Platz.